LAHORE, Oct 2: The Federation of All Pakistan Universities Academic Staff Associations (FAPUASA) will launch a countrywide campaign from Friday (tomorrow) to protest against the promulgation of the Model University Ordinance.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, FAPUASA president Sarwar Naseem said the protest would begin by holding a demonstration at the MAO College on Friday (tomorrow).

He said the federal cabinet had approved the Model University Ordinance last month on the recommendations of the Task Force on Higher Education Reforms.

He said the university teachers had already rejected the task force recommendations which they personally acquired. Still, he said, the government has not endeavoured to make the ordinance public as it feared strong criticism by teachers and masses at large.

Naseem said the federation has also joined hands with the Joint Action Committee of Teachers and the Pakistan Medical Association, who were protesting against the constitution of boards of governors in educational institutions, specially medical colleges, in the province.

He said the teachers and doctors, under the banner of Joint Action Committee (JAC), will hold a mass protest demonstration at the MAO College and then march on The Mall up to the Lahore High Court on Friday (tomorrow).

The teachers will also boycott classes.

On Oct 5, when the World Teachers Day will be observed all around the globe, the teachers and doctors would observe black day in all universities and colleges in the country.

They would perform their duties while wearing black arm-bands.

If the government did not repeal the ordinance till Oct 14, the JAC would hold protest meetings, demonstrations and rallies in all cities of the country on every Monday and Thursday.

Teachers of all general and medical colleges and universities would also boycott classes.

Naseem said the federation had also written a letter to President Gen Pervez Musharraf to intervene and repeal the ordinance, whose more than three versions were available with the teachers.

The task force recommendations and the ordinance were still being kept secret which suggest foul play. He, however, regretted that the president had yet to respond to the federation letter.

He also claimed that the government itself seemed confused over the ordinance and was perhaps still in the process of finalizing it.

He said the teachers also wanted reforms and changes in the universities but these must be done in consultation with them.

JAC chairman Nazim Hasnain said the teachers community was against privatization either it was being introduced in the form of the ordinance or the board of governors in colleges or education boards in schools.

He said the Lahore High Court Bar Association has also agreed to join the teachers movement.

Hasnain demanded that the government should withdraw the ordinance and abolish board of governors constituted in colleges.

He said that the government should recruit new teachers through the public service commissions. He also demanded that the government should allocate at least six per cent of the GNP each for education and health sectors.

FAPUASA vice-president and PUASA president Prof Dr Haris Rasheed and different universities’ academic staff associations’ representatives were also present on the occasion.